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2019 Top 5 Disappointments

To we have had the positive post on the best of 2019 but what about the disappointments. With whisky prices so high and bottles so highly sought after I think its important to highlight the ones which left me cold, frustrated or with buyers remorse.

There is a lot of good whisky on the market and a lot of producers with quality firmly in their mission statement. There are, however, some which has lost focus on the simple things and have perhaps looked to the fragrance industry for their future strategies. So what have I chosen this year? Well the first one is a distillery so close to me as I write this I could probably hit with a stone.

Glasgow Distillery 1770: 2019

One massively disappointing single malt which is simply too old and too raw to be sold. If it has a purpose it isn’t to drink on its own. I don’t think the distillery would have bottled this unless they required sales for their business plan which is a shame. The damage done here will take time to repair when the whisky is actually worth buying.

Wolfburn Batch No.128

Another new distillery which is bottling whisky too early. The reviews on all these bottles is so positive that when Whisky-me’s pouch was a Wolfburn I was excited to try it. It was a waste of time this is just boring which is better than vile like the 1770 is just as damning.

Bowmore Vault Edition One

A big brand with a big following which has struggled to meet the demands of corporate cost controls and expected quality levels. This limited edition version at cask strength I had high hopes for but it wasn’t to be. Just more of the same.

Highland Park 18

Edrington are ringing the neck of all their single malt brands to get the most revenue from the brands. There is a lot of distillery building action going on and those bills need to be paid. Sadly, we are the ones footing the bill in high prices and low quality. This is a boring and disappointing bottle of whisky at premium exclusive prices. You will probably get more joy having the bottle on the shelf and never opening it than drinking it.

A rough and disappointing American whisky which while bottled by a premium brand is below what you would expect from them. I don’t know enough about the sector and that is my failing but bottling this has to be theirs. Ok its cheap on sale at £30 but it still isn’t worth buying.